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Armin Sanayei’s composition “Shaky Savine” was created to perform in dialogue with Emanuel Gollob’s neuroreactive installation “Doing Nothing With AI”. The violin solo-piece premiered by the gifted hands of Jacobo Hernández Enríquez as part of the Presenza Assente concert in REAKTOR’s main hall in July 2020.

An electroencephalography (EEG) cap streams the musician’s EEG waves. The resulting data forms the basis for the AI’s action. The modular composition “Shaky Savine” gives the interpreter the freedom to improvise based on their perception, while an electroencephalography (EEG) cap streams the musician’s brain activity. Based on this real-time feedback, artificial intelligence decides on the next movements of the installation. In this way, the work only emerges in the interplay of composition, algorithm, and improvisation. The music and the movement interactively create each other.

This musical dialogue between man and machine was recorded by the director and artist Anna Mitterer. “Shaky Savine & Doing Nothing with AI” was created in a co-production between the Ensemble Reconsil and REAKTOR.

Movie
Anna Mitterer | director & cut
Philipp Windsor-Topolsky | camera & light
Tobias Aschermann | focus puller & DIT & color grading
Aram Baronian | dolly grip

Music
Armin Sanayei | composition
Jacobo Hernández Enríquez | violin
Alexander Yannilos | recording & sound mastering

Installation
Emanuel Gollob – design, concept & research
Magdalena May – concept & research
Advice and support | Johannes Braumann – Laboratory for Creative Robotic | Dr. Orkan Attila Akgün – Neuroscientist | Magdalena Akantisz & Pia Plankensteiner – Graphic Design
Hardware | KUKA industrial robots | Enobio EEG Cap from Neuroelectrics
Software | TF Keras GAN ML | vvvv gamma | mxAutomation | KUKA|prc
Acknowledgments | Supported by Vienna Business Agency | Parts of this iteration were produced at the Design Investigations Studio of the University of Applied Arts Vienna